ILP rolling photo quarantine 2

Hope nobody minds me starting a new thread... I can't load the other one, it kills my WiFi every time I click on it!

In return, here's a nice pic of Archie...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/Sl4wpEHoSjI/AAAAAAAALi4/XxqWaXfPv_Q/s800/photo.jpg

Lovely Archie!

A trip to see their nana up on Merseyside - the highlight of which is always the ice-cream rest-stop 50 miles from the end in rural Cheshire. In the last pic, Ava wanders through my childhood park. They've landscaped the tennis courts, y'know.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3612/3727245591_0101853633.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2550/3728027318_509b33c2eb.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3731063008_b13a18b382.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e66/LimitedLiabilityGirl/Baby.jpg

His mother won't cut his hair and doesn't understand why people keep asking how old her daughter is.

Am still trying to figure out she went from helpless little blob of tears to laughing, nearly-standing, toothsome banana-eater in the time it took me to grow a beard.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/cribcrawling.jpg

that was quick!

Laurel I remember some random woman telling me what a great big future football player I have there when she saw beeps.

I can definitely see her putting 'em through the uprights at some point in the future.

Wassup

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SmzXSQN6sKI/AAAAAAAAL7o/Wa40bz_Xe84/s800/photo%203.jpg

Soundo

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gAnUhTfTTqxv1qdqPbl1hg?authkey=Gv1sRgCM3k8YLtwZziSg&feat=embedwebsite";><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SmzWvTU-hnI/AAAAAAAAL68/wLkJmRb2s8o/s800/photo.jpg"; /></a>

Oops

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SmzWvTU-hnI/AAAAAAAAL68/wLkJmRb2s8o/s800/photo.jpg

Ava and Lulu sitting in their favourite tree in the local park; Ava has just recovered from busting a gut at the sight of Dad whacking his head on a branch:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2479/3763956378_b9b6b94221.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2525/3763952916_235d9be304.jpg

The girls invent Skype:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3480/3753858634_7ab358e1a2.jpg

I love how different your kids are! Mine are so similar. I was looking at pics at my parents' place in Tokyo. I was sure I had it right... until I noticed that "Ophelia" had a pacifier and Elisabeth didn't. I got it wrong. hah!

We're finding it harder to tell them apart vocally - esp when they call downstairs at night. Takes us a second or two to be really sure who is being the nuisance. (Last night it was "Daddy! Daddy! My covers!" Lulu's duvet was bunched up at the foot of her bed and it was obviously too much effort for her to drag it back up over herself. But who doesn't like being tucked in, eh?)

kid 1 at the accordion festival last month

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2048.jpg

kid 2 flying kites on the beach today

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2105.jpg

Beautiful!

Here's Alice in a rare moment of sleep:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2609/3788478698_5080436130.jpg

A couple of pictures from our trip to Martha's Vineyard...

Owen:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2429/3784519685_9d759b5707.jpg

Ben:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/3785324650_7bb30a1ff4.jpg

Owen and Ben:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/3784515423_eaba96edc9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2264.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2531/3815657038_8348739250_o.jpg

Born at 11.42 this morning

Aw... beautiful! Congrats!

Is it wrong that that pic makes me feel broody when I've got a 15-week-old?

squeeeeee!!!

Aw, babies...

Oh, lovely.

so gorgeous.

congratulations on the newbie!

Is it wrong that that pic makes me feel broody when I've got a 15-week-old?

makes me a little nostalgic with our youngest already being 16 months. it's such a short time ago that i could literally tuck him into the crook of one arm. he's still a baby, other people still call him a baby when they see him, but he's not a baby baby.

Nate, sooo sooooo cute! Can we borrow your baby for like... a year or so? Miss babies so much.

Tipsy, you have a gorgeous kid. Such beautiful eyes!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/3808122452_44c6e9d1f8.jpg

On the way to the daycare.

I haven't posted for a long time. Here are some photos of Rufus and Cyrus (now 6 and 4):

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs159.snc1/5940_127179850907_767115907_3136924_1414778_n.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs159.snc1/5940_127179855907_767115907_3136925_3163137_n.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2437/3805257636_07e691b28f.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2610/3803042833_d068684e53.jpg

Goodness, these kids have done some growin'!

David Moore, sometimes of this parish (if not this, er, neighbourhood - though he's knows more about parenting than most), gave me his old Olympus film SLR last weekend - so I of course took it out the next day with the girls...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2490/3811661341_294ab18d32.jpg

I can't use a camera without Howie shouting "Howie do it! Howie DO IT!!!!!" and grabbing it off me. So it's snatched pics with the iPhone for now. Anyway, how quickly they go from newborns to this:

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SoRPEAbD5FI/AAAAAAAAMAU/hdOyMQaosNA/s800/photo.jpg

And then this:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SoRPQ_BOxlI/AAAAAAAAMAc/uDqNjzJO3EE/s800/photo.jpg

I want someone to give me an old Olympus SLR.

The (relatively) good weather has meant a lot of goofing about in the street. Which is good when they have 7 weeks summer holiday to fill.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2600/3817898861_fdccdd1f43.jpg

Perhaps we should celebrate and capture the extraordinary phenomenon of these kids just getting bigger all the time with some collages. Picasa (which is free) makes this pretty easy. I don't think I could manage it tonight - too much work to do - but it might be fun to see a snap per month (or every other month) for some of the ILP near-toddlers/toddlers/pre-schoolers. For the moody adolescents...one a year?

Sounds good.
Here's another one of the boy in his attic hideout playing my old bass upside down.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2675/3818821668_067921acf4.jpg

Not a collage, but you gave me the idea to do a time-lapse slideshow:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/disbister/sets/72157622032311618/show/

Great idea, Mike!

And here is Owen's:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/disbister/sets/72157622038813626/show/

Wow time flies,probably 6 months since I checked in here, Superman , Meg, and Tracer esecially, becoming right proper little people! Congrats on the new born Nate.

"he's still a baby, other people still call him a baby when they see him, but he's not a baby baby"

Haha yes we are at this stage with Abi (13 months), time for another methink...Photos of Abi on her first birthday at the hot pools (heated partially by skaters on a nearby ice skate rink would you believe)

http://lcwjaa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1p5O5ePNW3uGqRLXlgMYB9zhenUmKxOfNxX7OX0uz2EVOjmZ9mo83MkkPdNnkWCOljfd5vzLZMFUnl3bRlY9eQPkv6OaSSGHAX/South%20Island%202006%20023.jpg

http://lcwjaa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pw-cSaaJl0Z9YDQtL9BBzDF9smh-

boo!

http://lcwjaa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pw-cSaaJl0Z9YDQtL9BBzDF9smh-

one last go

http://lcwjaa.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pw-cSaaJl0Z9YDQtL9BBzDF9smh-

boo.

gorgeous piccies! It's scary how fast they grow up isn't it? Two years old already!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/3833805830_6dc775a33e.jpg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3833801754_72b9b565e2.jpg

that expression in the first image is priceless!!! so cute!

her first playdate. I was going to say I'm a little embarrassed, but if I really was, I wouldn't be posting this photo, would I?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/IMG_3235.jpg

Wow, she's not messing around, is she? Will there be a second date?

This is what happens if you're 2 and you slip off a low stool while brushing your teeth and plunge the width of the bathroom into the corner of the opposite wall:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3848488126_0f19c1cedb.jpg

We got a little scared at how quickly it swelled up, called emergency services but all was well. A few hours later, eating her dinner in Vicky's garden (with the beautiful Aidan, three posts up):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2532/3850255202_bbcbf7e9b0.jpg

Ouch!

First thought - "Get the camera!"

;)

Well, we had a good 25min wait for the paramedics (who were lovely, God bless the NHS) and, once it was clear that it really wasn't serious, Pam said, "You know, we should have a record of this..."

Hey, I was shooting pics of Ben in the ICU with his head covered in bandages, so I hear ya...

(i have a weakness for hilarious eating photos)

this bowl of cheerios is twice as big as my head ....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2318.jpg

.... but i'm going to eat it anyway.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2327.jpg

i believe cookie icing is involved here.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2414.jpg

First day of preschool:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2088/3858063820_233199f01f.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3455/3857272447_ce59dcf14f.jpg

wow what is it like to have a kid that eats???? (xp)

schwantz, is that ben on the right? is he taller? also, how did the first day go?

having a kid that eats is a huge relief, considering that his older brother who will be 5 in a week still only eats about 6 things. (we're trying to figure out how he's going to survive at school. for the moment we're planning on packing a thermos of macaroni and cheese for him, since that is what he has for lunch every day.) but rex, the younger one, is much wider ranging. you can put almost anything in front of him and he'll take at least a bite. and a lot of things he'll just chow right through. (especially fresh fruits and veggies. very gratifying.)

Owen is on the right. My wife said he was standing on his toes (which is why he looks taller).

The first day went pretty well. They actually took a NAP, if you can believe it. It's a co-op, so my wife has to teach there one day a week. Today will be their first day without mommy.

My son demands inclusion on this thread. He's at the back. Him and his mate pedalled this contraption 10 miles, including over a flyover, the whole time blaring out "Entry of the Gladiators" and "Chealsea Dagger" from their on-board speakers. They are an insane clown posse.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3879036374_bcaef707a4.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2571/3878662202_657f0125f4_m.jpg

Elisabeth is obsessed with bread.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/3878665822_f7740fbe3b.jpg

First day at school.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3464/3880174711_b5cab42d2b_o.jpg

Seth at 3 weeks, ready to go out for the day.

Fantastic, Ned - were they photos taken by the event organisers at the finish?

Love the pic of Ophelia in the schoolyard. And Seth is totally ready - in fact, he looks like he's been ready for hours. When are we leaving?

On Saturday we went to Dulwich to ogle multi-million pound houses and run around in their immaculate park...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3511/3875417391_5486f1fb52.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2667/3875456893_f71309abdc.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2579/3879516072_d8f16f8dc4.jpg

Your photos are always amazing.

(Two of the three above taken by Pam, btw)

xps.
Yeah, there was guys at the "hubs" running around trying to take photos of everyone. Considering there was about 8000 cyclists they did a good job. After the race you could d/l your pics for free. Here's my daughter racing to the finish and doing her fake smile.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2559/3878240371_4e99a544d2.jpg

Haha, "race"!
[although there were some who took it way too seriously!]

On Saturday we went to Dulwich to ogle multi-million pound houses and run around in their immaculate park...

We once went there looking for Tom Cruise. But he was out.

I can't believe how big all your kids are getting! So so cute. And Michael, I still think that your youngest is the coolest kid I've ever seen - she's going to be a badass and I mean that in the best way. :D

Absolutely. Did she rip that plaque off an actual tree??

seth is like

duuuuude

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2464/3879352598_bac9335db0.jpg

Veronica's already well Red:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2570/3865379711_cff9afe5bb.jpg

AWWWWWWWW.

That looks like a nice couch.

For her to poop on.

Archie has had a bit of reflux recently. I daren't even hint at the current state of our sofa upholstery.

Howie just checks that he's given Archie enough toys

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SqArDZl_mkI/AAAAAAAAMKk/fvPsTr_fQzg/s800/photo.jpg

Still struggling with the concept of pillows and where to put them

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SqArKkZlmsI/AAAAAAAAMKs/DJgF3dgQG4o/s800/photo.jpg

"(Two of the three above taken by Pam, btw"

So a good camera then. hahah J/K

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8408.jpg

plotting!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/3893410080_d5cdc574f3.jpg

That looks like a "Before" photo.

Reading to each other:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2495/3896070465_7b7084fe58.jpg

We went to the beach, and Owen disappeared. Turns out he went to look at some horses. He picked up a stick and started showing off:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3422/3896063049_d01c2c3ebf.jpg

He loves it at the beach:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2591/3896061805_bd0803ec17.jpg

That whole set is a joy (delighted to see a Tallulah in there!). We've got to get these kids to a beach sometime.

For the time being, camping will have to do...

(ridiculously overstuffed Micra)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/3897227153_0c0961b90d.jpg

(Never without a book)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3505/3901191229_e9200d6240.jpg

(A wall is also a door)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/3898116362_dbdeed7792.jpg

ilxors have the cuetest kids!

ben and owen always make me squeeeeeee and now i feel crepey :(

you're not the only one lurking here, i'm glad i'm not alone actually

You aren't creepy! Kids are teh cute.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SqvL4zMSmII/AAAAAAAAMLc/-gvJerf2YUU/s800/photo.jpg

awwwwwwwwwwwww

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8281.jpg

awesome!

Oh noes!

From our vacation a few weeks ago:

http://i28.tinypic.com/14981zn.jpg

Ava, not sure whether she's glad to be back at school (was nursery last year, it's reception this year), Lulu, determined not to let her go...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3447/3908144694_fea380677a.jpg

omg they're so ridiculously cute and have the best kid clothes ever.

That's Ava's sort-of school uniform. They're not too strict as long as you adhere to colours and everything is fairly plain. Don't want to go overboard here, but here's a couple of small ones for comparison (probably posted on other threads before) - Ava and Lulu at start of Ava's nursery year and the two of them at end of nursery year. (We do have a similar shot of them at the front door for Sept '09 but I prefer the garden pic above)...

(Sept '08 - I'm sure green was a temporary unofficial measure!)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2910012089_be44a40245_m.jpg

(Jul '09 - Bunny is the worse for wear by now)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3747783528_5b3056a92e_m.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/3924227854_4cc69ba5d7.jpg

Right after this shot, Elisabeth decided to have some of Ophelia's meat. It's the first time she has eaten something we cooked. She usually eats specific baby food (spaghetti 12-36 months). You don't know how happy this made.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/3881111367_53210911ee.jpg

Elisabeth loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooves to walk (ironic seeing how late she was with walking). She's always out and about.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2481/3933902946_c543ab3081.jpg

Can we go in the pool already!

Love Elisabeth's T-shirt!

Shamelessly cute:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SraWjSH-N9I/AAAAAAAAMpY/bvddusSMJhg/s800/IMG_0220.jpg

Blowing bubbles:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SsUL2oL0d-I/AAAAAAAANZ0/dq5MITIr5Hw/s800/photo.jpg

Good work! With Ava and Lulu, blowing bubbles usually ends up being an advanced form of spitting. Lulu still hasn't mastered blowing her own nose (she finds the whole operation hilarious).

Here's the girls being their usual nonplussed selves outside a major London gallery:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2459/3934925141_25efa06ffd.jpg

And here's me trying to coerce them into shot (photo by PJMiller):
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2634/3974282966_fc94e0f67d_o.jpg

A walk through Sydenham Hill Wood, collecting acorns:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2553/3966482557_497a50213d.jpg

Here's Chloe. Born 8/13/09 at 11:45 am. We're finally getting little smiles from her!

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/LittleHead.jpg?t=1254521314
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/Goofball.jpg?t=1254523033
http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/Ohnoabath.jpg?t=1254523060

!!

:)

aww!

awww, kinda makes me wanna go through it again. kinda.

Thanks, guys!

So, is there a "When do I get to sleep again?" thread??? Cuz I'm tired.

I think it was around 3 months we started getting intermittent full night sleeps. Don't worry, you won't remember most of this by then.

Congrats! :)

Lovely Chloe! Those first few weeks are magical but...nah, I don't want to go through it again. It's very nice to have a bit of a newborn-cuddle once in a while courtesy of new-parent chums, but am very happy to hand back after a while...

Y'know, I am STILL not getting a full night's sleep after two years. But that's with Elisabeth. Ophelia slept through from 3 months. Honestly I think she did it cause she wanted a sister. roffle. Like Michael I love babies but I'm way past that phazzzze.

Two years!!! Don't say that! I'm hoping for the magical 3 month mark. Chloe woke up every 2 hours last night and we're starting to go a bit mad as a result. That said, she has been sleeping much better - but as soon as our confidence rises, we have a really bad night. Oh well, I'm 95% sure we're only having one, so I can appreciate the experience.

Archie more or less sleeps through now, and he's only five months. This seems little short of miraculous considering what a terrible sleeper his big brother was (and he still wakes 1 or 2 times a night more often than he sleeps right through...)

But they are lovely so I don't mind!

Beeps slept through from 3 weeks but then regressed at 2 yrs to waking up min of once a night

Just realized what this board is about, haha. I'm usually over at ILM, but hey. Lotsa cute kids here! Allow me to add my own:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr7v1zwWST1qzy30io1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0RYTHV9YYQ4W5Q3HQMG2&Expires=1255129310&Signature=EZEAQ5Kh2vxacqYPTQDoq1AnAf0%3D

yikes, fail
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_kr7v1zwWST1qzy30io1_1280.jpg

doh!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2576/3994147812_24f76c405d_b.jpg
Sylvie

:D i did it!

awwww

Wow, that's a corking photo! Welcome, Sylvie (and tylerw)!

awwww. babies are awesome. look at those cheeks!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2555/3994144846_c680b687fa_b.jpg
one more from the same session

Ack! His (?) gaze follows me around the room!

er, missed the fine print. HER gaze. sorry.

haha, yeah there's a little bit of this in that last shot
http://www.tableandhome.com/prodimages/8391.jpg

I love the way you are slowly warming her to Jazz. ;-) Sylvia is such a sweet name. And she looks sooooo sweet.

Two years!!! Don't say that! I'm hoping for the magical 3 month mark.

A bit of hyperbole. she slept through from 14 months or so. Before that it was pure hell. For the longest time she woke up EVERY hour. After that it was actually Ophelia and Elisabeth taking turns waking up. :-) Funnily enough our employee delivered her second baby a month before and also had a hellish time. Every morning we would open the shop and lament over how little sleep we had. :-) Im pretty sure that if Elisabeth had been first, I would have waited with a second child. But y'know I didn't and I'm VERY happy: they differ only about 21 months in age.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3933121933_f4ec07c8d6.jpg

Sylvie, Ophelia and Elisabeth are all very cute!

Chloe has actually only woken us up once per night for the last three nights in a row now. Pretty good! Of course, as I type this, I realize I'm totally jixing myself.

Jinxing myself, that is.

Went to Maui last week. Here are some from the Luau...

Ben:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2446/4000903171_47f02307b9.jpg

Owen:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2460/4001663998_622d9a6290.jpg

Owen gets on stage and steals the show:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2465/4000892581_a9d5241a48.jpg

Whoops - that's Ben on the stage!

Sylvie looks so happy and cheeky!

Aidan decided the other weekend that he didn't want to go for a nap in his bed, 'sleep sofa mummy!'

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2596/3997982746_7f1b917078.jpg

Wow, look at that purple sky in the Maui pic. Just like in the movies. And Magnum, P.I.

Jeff Koons' 53-foot inflatable silver bunny came to Covent Garden and the girls went nutso...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2456/3999524752_90bb23d684.jpg

aw, they look so happy!

wow, congratulations to the new parents!!!

Bed naps? What are they?

Sofa
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2517/4008104070_310f58950b_m.jpg

Floor
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2424/4008104174_c14058c697_m.jpg

Mid-sandwich
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/4007337693_a087ac6eea_m.jpg

Oops small version links.

Ha ha! The last one is a classic.

Bed (caravan)
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SraS5OZoVwI/AAAAAAAAMio/zEtGGa5_c5M/s800/IMG_0172.jpg

Bed (parents')
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SraW4kDrefI/AAAAAAAAMqM/5_XC0KfA1qU/s800/IMG_0229.jpg

Sofa (with daddy)
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/StTLSvxzZsI/AAAAAAAANb4/mafxLFVwj1s/s800/photo.jpg

my mom almost pulls a jack-o...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3486/3989389590_4bd4b2b682.jpg

<3 the sleeping kids pics. i've developed the creepy habit of staring at Sylvie while she sleeps. Probably therapy-fodder for later in life.

and since I'm here
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/4012290043_d1131798b0_b.jpg

Oh man. So beautiful.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/30/90138698_43f9937cfc.jpg

Ophelia almost four years ago. WTF

awwwwww

Cute! Love the name Ophelia, by the way ... Here's a vid of Sylvie enjoying herself this weekend. I've watched it a lot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZsmt-0JVhI&feature=player_embedded

omg sylvie! Way to make a girl broody...

I keep looking at this pic as a corrective now winter's drawing in:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/4007337761_451ce41595.jpg

These photos of babies reminded me that I never really did that "first year" collage I was going to do; well, Picasa makes it easy, if it doesn't exactly make it very flexible or good-looking...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2653/4029530247_c061f1f80f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2569/4023677568_4d8c7a597a_b.jpg
sylvie meeting her cuz for the first time

Here's a collage for Tallulah's first year. Not as active as Ava...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2481/4030597488_05baf2091e.jpg

Cool! So that's just a template on Picasa?

Yes, there are various collage options. For the most flexibility you should probably go with "Picture Stack" (or whatever it's called) and then just drag, reorient and resize your images around, but this is "Mosaic", where you don't have much control over the size, placement or order of anything. Just whacked them in there, added text and there you go.

It's just struck me how the leap from 8 months to 10 months seems quite significant, physically. Faces mature quite a bit in that period, it seems.

(And note how Tallulah - only 5 pounds at birth and incredible-expanding-baby thereafter - fits into that ye-ye dress at half the age her sister did!)

It's incredible how Ava-like and Lulu-like they both look from the very start. Tallulah totally wins on comedy expressions, though (still the case, I think).

Yep. Ava is earnest and (often) sweet, Lulu is just a total goon.

Both Ben and Owen wanted to be DJ Lance for Halloween.

Ben:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3510/4040197755_9cb3778180.jpg

Owen:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4040946120_674fb2b2da.jpg

Fantastic!

uh oh, did Ben chip his front tooth?

Michael, your daughters are so gorgeous!

OMG!!!!! those costumes are incredible, schwantz!

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SuoAJw64R2I/AAAAAAAANdU/nk31wncgR0M/s800/photo.jpg

Archie gets to grips with a bit of mushed carrot!

He has also reinstated a night feed <yawn>... and has two teeth, and no compunction about using them while feeding <ouch>

autumn boy

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2922.jpg

aw!

The girls as spiders for Hallowe'en...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/4062901728_efd084f7f1.jpg

After a lantern-lit walk around the local rec ground in the dark, Ava and three friends head back to the house...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2488/4062860166_645ce89cdd.jpg

those costumes!!!

yeah, those are great. we went with a $10 off-the-rack outfit from kmart that he picked out. last year he didn't really want to wear a costume at all, so we were hoping that by letting him pick one he'd be more into it. which worked pretty well, he did actually go trick or treating for a while. the whole thing still sort of weirds him out tho -- he was excited but also sort of unsure what he was supposed to do and why.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_2989.jpg

Hallowe'en isn't really a big tradition in the UK (getting bigger though), in fact I think there's a fair amount of resistance to it here as it's perceived as an imported US notion and it's only 6 days before Guy Fawkes' Night. But Pam is American and she's been determined to pumpkinize London one postcode district at a time since 1998. Tallulah's birthday is Nov 2, so that's close enough for a spooky party as far as we're concerned. Two years ago I think only three or four dressed up - this year was full-on ghosts, skeletons, witches and kitties from the SE19 clan. And Pam's spider outfits of course.

Trick-or-treat is simply a four-stop pre-planned sweet-swop in the immediate neighbourhood. No candy until Thanksgiving now.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8225.jpg

Drag Me to Hull

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8292.jpg

Hallowe'en isn't really a big tradition in the UK

when i was in manchester in 1991 i remember on oct. 13th seeing a group of kids trying to trick or treat. they rang the buzzer at one house and this pakistani guy came out and listened to their spiel and very patiently said, "we don't celebrate that, because we're muslim. but also, i think you have the wrong night." and the kids were all indignant -- "no, it's halloween!"

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/4068649985_3370609910.jpg

Second time on the merry-go-round. :-)

Ben:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/4061618500_bdbddf46cc.jpg

Owen:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2436/4060874343_187ccbe9b4.jpg

Ben looking all J Crew:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2455/4061611570_fa797cf42f.jpg

love the coat, nath

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2558/4079405670_28f0c8d04b_o.jpg

hahaha beeps looks like a giant!!

omg

Also, I think Henry looks a lot like PP.

One more DJ Lance Rock pic:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2676/4091185725_b9c7800241.jpg

awwwwwwwwwwwwwww

i don't have any kids and probably won't for a long time but here are my dear friend's two sons. this picture is killing me with cuteness so i am sharing:

http://i401.photobucket.com/albums/pp95/tza/utf-8BMTEwOTA5MjAzM2EuanBlZw.jpg

ahaha the baby beat down

Schwantz, did you see Brad Pitt stole your Halloween idea?
http://loyalkng.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/brad-pitts-halloween-costume-dj-lance-rock.jpg

schwantz kids win it, tho!

no question!

dying at 'drag me to hull' facial expression tbh

*shakes fist*

"Piiiiiiiiitt!!!"

posted my niece in the old thread by mistake:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/818963/grace.jpg

Seth at 13 weeks, he gets more amazing every day:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/4098091341_f0676a2e30_o.jpg

Aww... lovely fluffy hair!

Archie has chicken pox so not quite so handsome atm

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/Svx9iTkyqyI/AAAAAAAANzM/ygwOoz10MCw/s400/photo.jpg

looks like he's handling the pox pretty well ... it's better to get it younger right?
here's sylvie this week
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_38ynGUtx_zk/SwBGF5OD9jI/AAAAAAAAAHI/JdRjFumNUoQ/s1600-h/4Sylvies.jpg

oops
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/4103779774_faff277c48_b.jpg

Oh man. She's gorgeous. Look at those cheeks! *dies*

thanks! she is getting cuter by the minute, and those cheeks just keep getting bigger. as does the rest of her. 12 weeks and already well into 3-6 month old clothes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4130006722_abfddfc3b3_b.jpg

gorgeous!

bad iphone quality but here you go anyways:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2781/4139106761_c074a00814_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2620/4139106811_b83a20bf0d_o.jpg

omg <3 beeps' monster feet!!!!
and you let her stand on the table!

that is a pretty little girl. great indie chick vibe from first pic.

one of many firsts during a rainy week (note the sudden lunge towards the baby when it seems he might slip)....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufZ92WhFXc0

can't believe how big he is!

dude tell me about it.

how old is he now?

almost 1. no teeth!!

cats: protecting or plotting?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2477/4096001601_4d873705f2_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2534/4096745800_15aeb181f8_o.jpg

No, no, no, Tracer Hand, your kid is still one month old. Time does NOT go by that fast.

Sunny, can I borrow your cute baby for a while? I miss babies. (I would say I don't miss sleep deprivation. And in fact I don't as I'm still sleep deprived: my two kids take turns waking us up SEVERAL times during the night. I am fuxored beyond belief. ARGH!)

Wow, Tracer, that wiggly crawl once he reaches the top of the stairs! Our Louis was watching over my shoulder and wants to know if your Louis is Lou-e or Lou-iss? These things are important to 12 year olds.

Love the Museum of Childhood, it's a total nostalgia fest.

Sunny, yr baby is beautiful.

Nath - I'm feeling yr pain. Six years of disrupted sleep we had - it's hard. BUT IT WILL END! (probably)

Ned, I'm just fucked up beyond belief. :-( SIX years? Oh crappers :-)

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/SxjyVlCoqKI/AAAAAAAAN68/SbSVhD9KCFY/s800/SAM_0152.JPG

No sleep here either. Archie had chicken pox, then bronchiolitis, then Howie got the pox. Just about all better now -- last night was the first they both slept through in about a month.

Wonderful stuff (not the sleep deprivation, the photos).

Has it really been five weeks since I posted on this thread? I look at it nearly every day...

Another pair of tights head for the bin after a rough day at school for Ava...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2756/4096129213_546c1e1353.jpg

Lulu, zoning out in a coffee shop with Ivan the Bunny (I had to sit on a stool)...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2574/4122706077_40d50bcdea.jpg

Little drummer girls in, hey, another coffee shop...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2485/4110772688_21b68c8d1d.jpg

Meg, that is one classic photo. MJ, sometimes i think, in the looks dept, Beeps and Lulu are somehow related. I've also been looking everywhere for Ava's boots in my size.

We are introducing Henry to Beeps' old miracle blanket tonight. A shortish wrapped up evening nap definitely showed some promise.

love seeing these cute kids ... here's mine
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/4153704159_cd0bf30cfc_b.jpg

omg!!!!!! i loooooovve the look on her face.

<3 those cheeks!

Back to no sleep again last night -- Howie has a back molar coming so was up +++ times.

MJ, this might have been asked before but what camera do you have?

Hey Meg - it's a Canon EOS 40D (before February it was a Canon EOS 300D; the shutter finally reached the end of its life on that). Usually a 28mm f/1.8 or 50mm f/1.8 lens on there. Both cameras were secondhand, off eBay, way less than regular price.

Are you thinking of getting a new camera?

Yo Ned! It's "Lou-ee". (French mom. Although in France they put the emphasis at the end, i.e. Lou-EE.) How about yours?

Here's like 50% of my reality these days:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4163378257_14d6335a24.jpg

It chills me to the bone when I imagine what these two have in store for me over the next few years:

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01220.jpg?t=1260260445

they do look like they're up to something ... as do these two ...
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_38ynGUtx_zk/Sx1u-6VnXrI/AAAAAAAAALE/NqXd9dbhXHA/s1600-h/tacandSylvie.jpg

gah
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/4168786327_f5b002c886_b.jpg

xp - same here Tracer - LouEE. Here he is with his sister and a friend.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2714/4179580351_762a642a35.jpg

And he here is with the same friend after getting their go-cart stuck (with my brother directing the rescue operation and my son helping out by taking a photo of the problem on his phone).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2745/4180333914_716dd1fa57.jpg

Ned, your son seems as awesome as you.

Snow!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2785/4197237936_c444aa512f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2748/4196491209_d951da71a8.jpg

oh my gosh ava's cheekbones are gorgeous! she's gonna make a stunning young lady in a few years.

ok I've never posted on one of these threads before but wtf. Here's a shot of my youngest daughter at the Noël displays at Galeries Lafayette last week:

http://i50.tinypic.com/et7akh.jpg

My little man's shot up a bit since I last posted a pic

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4181967251_082a09d732.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2501/4195465524_089b27e4f4.jpg 

<3 <3

rockin out on his christmas microphone/speaker set, noise style

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_3836.jpg

yesssss

Santa brought the girls a market stall (aka Ikea hack by Pam) - this is the moment of first encounter:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2530/4218849644_3262d2542a.jpg

The gals, still in their PJs, with their stockings:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2616/4218081139_a35f4c41da.jpg

You guys are so freakin' CRAFTY!

We visited my brother and his wife in Georgia for Xmas. Among other things, we made Christmas cookies. See if you can tell which of the twins had a horrible cold...

Owen:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4226047516_67f5d3cf19.jpg

Ben:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/4225279791_e23c4003cf.jpg

And here's a nice family shot we took on the last day:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4226067656_d9d145cf1a.jpg

awww poor ben!

H-Bomb:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4049/4226188489_b5fe21eba9_b.jpg

Ridiculous babby blues:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4226188587_8c97e5d5af_b.jpg

and smiling:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4029/4227018455_fd0ce6d2aa_o.jpg

5 seconds of beeps in xmas morning bliss:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/equinestate/4226187795/

our last photo taken in the 00's:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4232353895_aabfeaf832_o.jpg

Sunny, this reminds me of the muppet drumkit I got for xmas. lol. my parents threw it out after i kept banging shaggs stylee on the damn kit for ages. my mom has (like me) recurring migraine attacks so a drumkit wasn't the ideal thing to have around.

Happy New Year everyone!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4234550289_4052b10183.jpg

Hey MJ - do you use a flash much? If so, any suggestions? The built-in one on my camera is awful. I think I've had decent luck in the past with one that tilted up at 45 degrees, but that was a long time ago...

I don't use flash all that much with the girls - the only pic on this thread with flash is the fill-flashed shot of Ava in the park from July right at the top.

I got a Canon 420EX Speedlite for a decent price on eBay about 18 months ago, specifically for an upcoming wedding. With a Sto-Fen diffuser on it and firing straight up to a low, white ceiling at the reception, I got reasonably good results but it was beginner's luck really. Only recently have I decided to teach myself how to use the thing properly because I've had wildly inconsistent results since (and Pam really dislikes flash, so even when I get a nice, soft, even light on an indoor shot of the kids it usually doesn't make the Flickr cut). Those bathroom shots from last April (where Ava appears to be throttling her sister) were probably the best flash pics I've taken of the kids. I tend to shoot at 120-135deg tilt (i.e. swivelled round and tilted back so I'm bouncing off the wall high behind me) or straight up but recently I've been shooting more directly (45-60deg) at a lower power and I've been pleasantly surprised at the results. Obviously, outdoor fill-flash has to be direct.

Like lenses, flashes are brand-specific as the metering systems/hotshoe connections differ from system to system. The good Pentax ones seem to be as expensive as their Nikon and Canon equivalents (and I wouldn't really recommend getting the entry-level Pentax (AF200FG) as it neither tilts nor swivels); there seem to be some raves out there for the Metz 48 AF-1 for Pentax but that may not be as available (or as cheap - it's a European brand, I think) in the US. eBay may be your pal here.

So you just use a fast lens and hope nobody moves? That's what I do, but it's so hit-and-miss...

I know what you mean. When I take photos at kids' parties I am slightly envious of the parents snapping away with flash because, as harsh as their photos are going to look, at least they'll be sharp and in focus and you'll be able to tell who is who. Mine tend towards the atmospheric! I do get a reasonable number of nice, casual f/1.8-f/2.8 shallow-DoF portraits though, with no flash to draw attention to myself, so the kids just get on with watching the entertainer or Santa or the cartoon...

A flash certainly takes the lottery aspect out of it - as long as you figure out how to bounce the light to yr best advantage and set up the camera so there's a good balance in the exposure between strobe and ambient. That all-important picture as they blow out the candles on the cake though - it's dark but you wouldn't want flash for that, would you?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2309/2269571855_4630243561_m.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3631/3288371387_5f03e9dc5c_m.jpg

(Btw, Schwantz - those old scans you're putting up at the moment are extraordinary!)

OK Beeps with the drums = <3. You guys are pretty brave!!

All these kids are adorable. You ppl make good babies.

I'm trying to scan all my mom's negatives and slides, which is a crazy, lifelong project.The ones I just put up were from a Crossroads Africa program, which is where she met Kennedy, and my dad.

I think the one crappy thing about the Pentax is the AF system, which really makes the pictures a focus lottery. I just shoot tons of shots, and usually some come out clean. Sometimes, though, I just get a big pile of out-of-focus stuff. Maybe the newer Pentax cameras will fix that, or maybe I'll have to make the jump to Canon/Nikon.

That's a shame about the autofocus on Pentax - I didn't realise it was that inferior. A lot depends on the lens but I would've thought the 50/1.4 was about as good as it got.

I've been really spoiled with the 28/1.8 on my Canon - it nails focus, even with off-centre points, in absurdly low light. With lesser lenses, it helps to have an AF-assist light; the Canon bodies annoyingly dropped this feature with the move to digital, so the AF assist on my flash is useful. Does the Pentax have a light on the body?

Pam got me a secondhand mid-'90s Vivitar 100mm f/3.5 Macro this Xmas (seeing as the Canon, Sigma and Tamron equivalents are way beyond our budget); built like a toy, sticky manual focus, but really great optically. Where it struggles though is AF - I'd forgotten what it was like to hear a lens go through the gears, desperately hunting for something it can lock on.

Yeah, I think Canon has the AF system nailed. Of course, with an f/1.4 lens, almost everything is out-of-focus, so I understand a little churn, especially when the kids are on the move. How does AF assist work? The camera says it supports AF assist, via the built-in flash.

AF-assist - with my old EOS 10 film body, and with the 420EX flash unit, it projects a little criss-cross pattern of red light onto your target for the phase-detect AF system to lock into. No good if you're trying to be discreet, of course, and I'm not sure how well it works if you're not focusing with the centre point. Using the pop-up flash for AF assist is much more intrusive, as it does a little low-intensity white strobe thing.

I imagine the Pentax 50/1.4 is a bit soft wide-open, maybe even as far as f/2.8 or f/4 - most of them are (only the megabucks primes, like the Canon 85/1.2L, 135/2.0L, etc, are sharp at wide apertures), so even with correct focus, pictures can look a bit fuzzy. But you don't really have the luxury of stopping down if you're trying to freeze motion with a high shutter speed indoors. Does the K200D have various AF modes - like one-shot, servo, etc?

I try and use the one-shot mode (otherwise it will hunt forEVER). I also just choose the single-point mode, to avoid confusing the sensor. I guess it's just the deal with the 1.4 lens. If it had better high-ISO performance (less noise), I would just shoot at 800 ISO, I guess, which would help. It might just be that at 1.4, only a tiny bit of the picture is in-focus.

Maybe one of the external flash units has the AF assist lamp...

Thanks for the advice!

Beeps' star series:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4039/4251026703_c1509aa408.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4251799078_c3ef32e99f.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2470/4251026153_f47d06189c.jpg

^^^It's the UFO club all over again - I'm having flashbacks...

One day all these cute babies will look like this...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4260095174_d27f37a150.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4260087898_cd2ee9ee81.jpg

Owen at the aquarium in Georgia:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4262325703_7f03678acc.jpg

Ben at the park:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4264262163_7f57051afb.jpg

Owen eatin' cheese:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4262327727_4026562974.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2720/4265139414_c58694cfb5.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4264388317_f2f1b7c7a2.jpg

finding daddy's wallet
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2769/4265139640_467ebecd46.jpg

...and about to go online and buy stuff.

Also - Henry's jumper = awesome.

lol teaching her early <3

OMG, the kids on this thread are too cute.

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/BaxterChloe.jpg?t=1263198539

Wonderful sequence of picks. I'm glad Baxter and Chloe are so fond of each other (or perhaps Chloe has no choice in the matter at the moment).

It's all about Lulu at the moment; photos of Ava are only to be taken on her terms ("take a picture of this tower I've made for the dinosaurs, Daddy"; "They're yr mum's food colouring bottles, where the hell did you get those?!")...

So, three stages of Lulu - mid-shampoo, post-shampoo, post-comb:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4255432192_027c0b4ff5.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4053/4258066810_af9255a801.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4254670959_d95f510b86.jpg

Picks? Either pics or pix, you, er, pick.

Gorgeous pics everyone. Alice still regards hair washing as cruel and unusual torture - maybe if we build in a photo shoot she'd enjoy it more.

Here she is posing for friends post-Christmas 2009:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2764/4255743955_c04947d5fe_m.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4005/4255743991_9cff0f2328_m.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2774/4255744055_ae5dd3b73c_m.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2794/4255747211_9c91ae78f7_m.jpg

Festive Archie

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S0pa_3CJaAI/AAAAAAAAONM/c-asaB06c4s/s800/IMG_0854.JPG

Snowy Howie

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S0uzIWovZKI/AAAAAAAAOaw/oGpl-hGn6gM/s800/photo.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8016.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4276291681_52e336bc55_b.jpg

Sylvie's cheeks are a thing of wonder Tyler! Fantastic!

Lovely Sylvie!

Just developed an old roll of Kodak black'n'white, stretching back to July 2008. Tallulah, with short bangs, when we still counted her age in months...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/4293503005_dc52d802be.jpg

And this is Ava eating poppadoms in our local Nepalese in September last year...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4042/4293507737_d7eabd6974.jpg

First time on the swings

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S1oYwZilvEI/AAAAAAAAObw/2BZFDX-N6TQ/s800/photo.jpg

I can't get over how big he is Meg! And so like his brother

My boy likes his pasta, I'm sure he'd live on it if he could

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pernfors88/4301317147/

Photo by Mike

Doh

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4301317147_ba12ee1d33.jpg

Three in row where I've snapped kids eating. Is it any wonder people don't invite me to restaurants?

It is one of the few times that they actually stay still enough to take their photos though

have i mentioned how cute everybody's kids are on this thread? dang!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2768/4312382851_34e23cbb9b_b.jpg

Not sure what that face is saying but it's pretty awesome.

great pic

Been a while...she's walking, colouring with crayons, attempting somersaults (WTF!) and being lovely and wacky.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/whysoserious.jpg
It is one of the few times that they actually stay still enough to take their photos though
Amen.

Horrified in Cheltenham.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4320695556_5345f07ae2.jpg

LMFAO!

Owen and Ben went with me to the zoo today...

Petting a goat:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4019/4319422833_e9d19aecac_b.jpg

Owen:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4320159738_573a0954b2.jpg

Ben:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4319426731_e6696275ed.jpg

that statue has always puzzled me. what and why?

as public art in cheltenham goes the kit williams clock is much better.

Yes, the clock is good, but Mae was distracted by chocolate/twix pretzels nearby and wouldn't stand under it when the bubbles started. So, for information - and non-Brit readers who might wonder wtf we are going on about - here's a non-child related photo of it...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4036/4321297881_2cc2656821.jpg
I quite like the other sculpture though. I have no idea what it's about, I think the artist just likes hares. And hares would obviously hang out with minataurs. Mae and her cousin thought it quite hilarious of course and giggled about it for quite some time.

lol at cheltenham pic ....

also can't wait to take sylvie to a petting zoo -- my wife and i are both weirdos who liked to go into those things before we even had a kid.

chillin' in the boppy

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01262.jpg

awww. we need to dig out our boppy.

Beeps in Mommy training:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2786/4331266489_d97365e937_b.jpg

Great pic! I'm in awe of you guys with more than one kid. How do you do it???

aw her hair is so cute!!!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4341241708_96e0a4a8a7_b.jpg
sylvie through the weeks

pictures of yawning babies are never not completely adorable

Wonderful Sylvie series.

Today, Ava turned 5.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2716/4357088743_e6c8b9c30f.jpg

Happy birthday for yesterday Ava! Five! Amazing.

The wonderful Sylvie may single-handedly persuade me that having another child would actually not be such a bad idea.

Since Nathalie just taught me how to post photos, and I'm in full proud-dad mode, here come the kids:

Elia
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4389807742_e0a78b0fec.jpg

Twin #1 Giona
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/4389852646_d7e8708f1a.jpg

Twin #2 Tobia
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2716/4389822544_968de6572e.jpg

super cute, marco!
here's Sylvie at 6 months
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2731/4380906548_58d9bdcbd8_b.jpg

All these cute babies! Here's what they look like as super-jaded toddlers:

Ben:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/4396274829_c8ccd3a337.jpg

Owen:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4397042074_96ddc28417.jpg

Sylvie is practically edible!

Jaded is right. It's your first trip on a Mersey ferry! One of the most famous waterfronts in the world! OK, it was freezing and we had no snacks...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4061/4373747511_dcf25511b1.jpg

The other day in the lovely light of the Bridge House Tavern in London's cheapest postcode, SE20...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2802/4393711150_2c5a966f1c.jpg

Seth, 6 months old now:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4057/4403377227_a3f222634a.jpg

It's gone quick!

omg seth rules

haha, their hair is so funny at that stage -- sylvie's has started sticking up too.
Michael Jones' pics making me (and my wife) want to move to the UK! Looks so nice.

Never take your eyes off the juice

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S42OQNbEflI/AAAAAAAAO4w/0enNWIL1p2I/s800/DSCF1240.JPG

Ah, Caffe Nero! So many elements of my Saturday afternoon experience are present and correct in that picture. Only thing missing: the ham and mozzarella panini the girls divvy up between themselves like it's Kid Ambrosia.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4407606899_c37b63f978.jpg

Ben riding a pony:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2788/4416680465_92988f6c10.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4388314240/

requesting to listen to the Butthole Surfers (other favorite bands: King Khan, Cramps, the 'Mones/Joey)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4388314240/

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/beachball.jpg

SO cuet!

Every little girl should have at least one pair of stripey tights. It should be the law.

Easter Sunday! Which means egg hunt. Which means one girl ends up with a (very slightly) fuller basket than the other. Cue tears...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4494483033_c717301ed0.jpg

All smoothed over by chocolate...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4494465957_d4f7e30f0c.jpg

What can you do?
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4503350022_32c316c2c6.jpg

Jumper bought on Tuesday, incidentally.

Wherever the big one goes...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S75BBYTimbI/AAAAAAAAPi4/iIsELpKTPoM/s800/IMG_0895.jpg

...the small one follows

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S75BDtD0mGI/AAAAAAAAPjA/6TCLvY_T-gg/s800/IMG_0896.jpg

(Effects and border via Lightroom, thanks Michael!)

best toy in the world:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2755/4470516244_494afe829c.jpg

Cold beach in South Wales:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4502657047_2651a748fe_o.jpg

serious niece is serious

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/818963/Srs.bmp

Ben making a funny face:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2725/4511684592_8118cdd2f1.jpg

Ben, excited:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2773/4511685122_efa996f9e3.jpg

Owen and Ben, holding their new niece:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/4511676990_3ecc7e6b3d.jpg

Excuse the intrusion from someone who never posts, just couldnt resist showing off my new daughter Eva to the ILP posse. The shark eyed little bug was born 3 weeks early (28/03/10) but is doing very well, needless to say she is a big hit with her sister.

http://gp9xua.blu.livefilestore.com/y1pT7wyn3A7rnpqc2eZH3fRPvkJ0yQ3RcvBAcb7wFKVFkfPrTrbAWO5rucq8nrM8p2XdWbZadI_IH6HrGqLsOOHJHTBVulAZqCd/Jan%2010%20098.jpg

Jazz hands! Or maybe Hula Hands?

Haha, yes, jazz hands it is, her sister is a dancing queen so this may work out quite nicely.

Your boys are now the elder statesmen of ILP!

^^^ 'I has invisibl piano'

Archie is one this week! How did that happen?

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S9SnhRjEr2I/AAAAAAAAPsA/yrXNBFsQMQo/s800/DSCF1555.jpg

it's a LEARNING TENT!

dude meg i think it happened by the earth passing around the sun. i have never understood the whole "time flies" sentiment with babies. i feel like i have been a dad for approx 1 million years. (a good thing, obv!)

by the way a pro photog friend came by the other day for some photos of lil' louis. check this out. it's like a damn magazine!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4556742345_7cc75d3815.jpg

Aha - I wondered how you came to get your hands on a Leaf 75s!

The girls loved Copenhagen:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4025/4548861617_77295c401a.jpg

Lulu wakes up on the sleeper - around 8am, near Odense:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/4538894381_60648bc6bc.jpg

Ava reflects on Lulu's claimed victory in the pirate ship water gun thing:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4024/4545217285_e3b63a9c28.jpg

wow michael - that photo with the pools of light is amazing. it must have been hard calculating the exposure, etc.

Nah, just underexposed by 1 stop to avoid blowing out the faces, added a little punch in Lightroom.

Did your pro friend let you have a play with the Leaf camera? Most cars are cheaper than one of those!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4551033828_ecd6e42ace.jpg
One today!

no, i didn't dare! i could tell it was expensive but i had no idea how much. and actually i still don't - i have tried to google its price but found nothing! which must put it into serious yikes territory. i mean, prices of gadgets must be the most googleable thing imaginable, yet it's like the internet barely acknowledges this thing can be bought or sold.

xpost

congratulations!

Tracer: http://cgi.ebay.com/Leaf-Aptus-75S-75-S-Digital-Back-Hasselblad-H1-H2-H-LN-/220332432746?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Digital_Cameras&hash=item334cd61d6a5k for just the 33MP digital back. You'll be wanting a camera body and lens with that, sir.

Lovely VR! A year already!

christ

i have never understood the whole "time flies" sentiment with babies

Have another one! Then you'll see...

Happy birthday Veronica!

aww welcome to toddlerhood!

Happy birthday Veronica!

wait who's the other Veronica here...?

Someone beat you to the V

Veronica is our daughter, pictured a few posts up thataway ^

THE WORLD IS YOURS

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4027/4579448933_b39e088a1d_b.jpg

wheres nath btw??

if you didnt know already beeps has her own Flickr account now (fisher price kid tough camera, yo)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beeseyeview/

btw all the photos say theyre from 1969 and there seems to be no way to change it. summer of <3

Chloe @ 9 months

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01309.jpg?t=1273691856

Whoops:

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01309.jpg?t=1273691856

awww!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/DSCF8109.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4584229240_eb32f035be_m.jpg

awwwwwwws

first holy communion one is killing me in a very good way

oh man I want to kiss that babies cheeks! 1st communion adorable too.

that baby's cheeks are very kissable. you can actually see it in that pic -- sylvie's first bruise! on her right cheek :( she fell on a toy train.

awwwwwww

haha like 90% of my posts are just awwwwws now. you guys make adorable kids.

Yeah you do (you included Kate). Also it's bugging me that I typed babies instead of baby's in my post yesterday. ha.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4014/4604498065_8c5b21bf4f_m.jpg

"now let me just say this about that"

lets try that again
http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4604498065/

ah fuck it

Is this thread google de-indexed? Cos otherwise that's a pretty inappropriate user name to adopt on a thread full of pics of kids :(

oh um... sorry that didn't even occur to me, it was a typo-derived joke from an ILM thread...

Cycling in the park, a couple of weeks ago:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4579356255_206c0b3fd9.jpg

Still pretending not to be all that impressed with the Liverpool waterfront (Ava's fashion disaster by Dad, I'm afraid)...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3359/4636736531_82738790d7.jpg

Kids are modelling for the local Children and Young People's Plan

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/IMG_0469.jpg

Wow what a gorgeous pic!

Archie's favourite sport: bugging his big brother

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S_7cWGctQhI/AAAAAAAAQYw/v0usKGK9gjQ/s800/DSC_0665.JPG

Thanx Meg. We have a disc of those lovely pics but I didn't wanna flood the thread. Volunteering to be in a document is a good way of getting nice pics taken on the cheap.

NV: It's a great photo (as is Meg's! We're well into factor-50 season, I see) and it's good that they gave you the results on disc. Ava did a couple of shoots for kids' books a year or so ago and, though we were promised contact sheets, we never did get to see the photos - until the first book came out, anyway (not sure she made the cut for the second one).

Sharing a cupcake at a carnival:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4003/4633440303_a4c72357fa.jpg

Memorial day weekend. H-Bombs first time in a pool. (Yes we buy blow up pools in arkansas)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/equinestate/4659033248/sizes/o/

what the? so out of image posting practice

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4010/4659033248_9def29e57e_o.jpg

We've taken a great summery turn in the last few pictures!

Are animated GIFs considered bad form? Oh, what the heck (I'll kill the link if so)...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/4657518163_bedbffa050_o.gif

Haha that is so great!

Here's my kid (Ben) with Shakey's kid:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1304/4658734900_4189838a5b_b.jpg

Wow, it's like one of those crossover TV episodes - like Anthony LaPaglia popping up in CSI!

They are a spinoff - The Shimmer Kids Kids.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_38ynGUtx_zk/S_stlTN9FwI/AAAAAAAAAYI/XZT9RHC5vd8/s1600/vitamincottage.jpg
sorry if this is huge ...

loving all these pics btw -- some of the coolest kids i've ever seen! and that gif is incredibly cool! i'll have to figure out how to make them ...

It's a meme waiting to happen...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/S0paiNu-DgI/AAAAAAAAOMI/ZPv0N4ApOPI/s800/IMG_0453.JPG

hipster babies in shopping carts? i smell a book deal ...

ah all your kids are just way too cute.

sorry, stopped putting pics up. so you'll just have to pretend mine are just as cute. lol

Beeps voted
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1281/4674054164_570d0a8caa.jpg
H-Bomb is prob too big for this thing now I think maybe:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1295/4674053842_5b5ecb4e6a.jpg

Alice is ready for summer:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4681548876_652b9329f0.jpg

More shopping trolley action! This at Croydon Costco, which is terrifyingly big...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4686711064_00ee5553b1.jpg

My afternoons this year in three frames.

http://idisk.me.com/stephentrousse/Public/swing3.gif

lol awesome

haha!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1292/4692381048_3f427102c0_b.jpg
since i'm here, this is the latest development for us ...

standing! sweet!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1273/4672379809_c23ec8758e.jpg

also this just in: bunnies not as exciting as parents often believe

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4672733796_bee5fce3f6_b.jpg

was proud of this photo before I noticed our dog in the background

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01373.jpg

hahahaha

Henry also started pulling himself up to a standing position a week ago. Must be the season. Heres a video taken this evening:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/equinestate/4713708400/

Seth at 10 months:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4719828805_75a73638f0.jpg

Gorgeous blue eyes!

Here's my blue eyed boy

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4028/4709128703_57bbf6cba8.jpg

And whenever I'm feeling blue in the future I just need to watch this to lift my spirits http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsbrown/4720517142/ Aidan telling us all what the last film he watched was.

NV, I don't know what it is about your communion belle but my heart goes out to her sharp-toothed smile every time. There's something so sympathetic and sparkly and simply pretty about her expressions.

Ahaha Aidan. Why do I think he's not shy about telling you what doesn't suit him? ;) Starting with that helmet strap, perhaps.

awwww at Aidan.

Ben and Veronica:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4120/4740432197_bcc75b3bd4.jpg

aw so cute

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4742961067_d46f70a23e_b.jpg

Glamorous!

Veronica at 14 months:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4750084726_56ca1b9f01.jpg

Ava and Lulu at Gipsy Hill station:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1323/4722662148_4284f76f89.jpg

Lulu in Horniman Gardens:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1242/4725313403_f0a834fcf8.jpg

Ava, suddenly looking older than her five years...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4765936310_15f9ae61cf.jpg

Howie doing a bit of sight-seeing

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TC-1BSv9HtI/AAAAAAAARDM/-QoMUY3sW0A/s800/DSCF2183.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4768454875/
frolicking in the grass in Olympia

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4768454875_d7e636f600_m.jpg

Big girls (19 mos) dress themselves.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/DSCF2029.jpg

chillin with tac the cat
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_38ynGUtx_zk/TDH5So6OryI/AAAAAAAAAZY/UfGijOIt7MU/s1600/4thofJuly.jpg

Looks like your baby is riding a giant cat!

he is kind of giant tbh

all the new pics are so cute

http://www.flickr.com/photos/esessions/4775232551/

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4775232551_6c24431aae_m.jpg

(new flickr layout confusion. this is Tracer's pic)

gah. that's what i get for taking their new "grab the link code!" on faith

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4777584269/

kinda amazed at her memorizing all these words tbh

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4777584269/

can't figure out how to get the video link to work

Owen and Ben having a tea party (and eating celery, thanks to the Wonderpets):
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4784481331_8db3d7bef3.jpg

Alice is heavily into the Beano these days:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4789756350_8d822020ca.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/4787413639/

Fairyland is TEH COOLEST

goddammit

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif

argh I give up

Flickr video embeds do not work (if that's what you are trying to do)... Maybe stet can change that?

Whatabout Vimeo vids?

http://vimeo.com/13305642

:/

I think only youtube embeds work on ilxor.

And AWWWWW to the walking....

July 4th:

Henry experiences a tragic fail at being a britisher punk:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4793672993_ab735fe114_z.jpg

Further along the deck, Beeps pledges her allegiance to the yuminess of the united flavors of popsicles, and to the empty calories for which it stands, one nation under ADHD, indivisible, with cornsyrup and green dye number three for all:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4794305632_9288487dd7_z.jpg

screw walking. quadbikes are where it's at for infants these days

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONPWVwlQCKQ

my first entry for these threads:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs045.snc4/34610_1534919977423_1367529924_1400498_300237_n.jpg

congrats!!!!

Awwwww!

nice!

Congratulations!!!

congrats!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuOOZ4OT2VE

TBH all the shouting gets wearing after a bit but I suppose this plausibly belongs here.

ooh and well done n/a congratulations!

Congrats n/a! Did you go for the midwife delivery in the end?

Midwife delivery in hospital, bag of waters broke so she had to get induced, but no painkillers or c-section.

Thanks all.

COngrats N/A and Sarah!

no painkillers??! whoa

congratulations n/a!!

Heatwave!
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y298/hukl/DSCF2055.jpg

summer = baths outside!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4091/4835386914_a4b4d0e883.jpg

haven't posted anything here in a while, but here's one i like from the weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_0053.jpg

(is it a hug or a headlock? to an older brother, it's all the same thing.)

Lovely stuff!

A couple of recent Ava pix...
a rare display of spontaneous joy on a trip to Manchester:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4854423825_fbf01dbc59.jpg

With the Liverpool hotel's pool out of commission, she had to find some other way to burn off surplus energy:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4851244266_e3c4f954b9.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4100/4860185393_7348027457.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4080/4860858074_0479061f7b.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/x77tigersxus/4860900000/

damn it

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4860900000_3fbf7dc190.jpg

congrats nick! holy shit, its been so long...didn't realize you guys were having a kid.

hey man. yep, she's just two weeks old.

she's looking wise beyond her years ... er, weeks. congrats again. crazy times, i know.
here's our almost 1-year old!
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_38ynGUtx_zk/TFRQ1UVeHSI/AAAAAAAAAbs/4KuLh_DudS0/s1600/sandstonesylvie.jpg

Chloe will be a year old next week!

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01443.jpg?t=1280944450

Poor thing is suffering from Phil Collins hair at the moment.

Awesome kids and photos one and all.
Here's mine.
Daughter v. excited about speedboat ride - kid in front of her, not so much...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4099/4828036075_fab664c52d.jpg
Son v. excited about crabs, crabs not so much...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4828646914_b04b60c26f.jpg

I love this thread!

My three year old (how the hell did that happen?!?!)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4078/4864216836_69c7d4eb6a.jpg

whoa already got the moves

tipsy was that photo taken in nu-krutch park?

Our friends' kid Charlie:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4877355421_a2c424c309.jpg
Charlie by disbister, on Flickr

Cole pouring sand on his pal Ashers head.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_UDNvbOCLvAM/TGFrcSkuHII/AAAAAAAAABM/NSOsesKieCg/s1600/DSC00991.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs297.snc4/41167_463450926146_503121146_6967864_632469_n.jpg

four weeks old today

Aw man, so cute! I love her little dress/tank whatever it may be.

Chloe's sunglasses are awesome.

Gahh! SO cute! Henry turns 10 months today and im already missing having a baby in the house

nephew santi:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4142/4910433182_e3590eeb43.jpg
photo.JPG by remybean, on Flickr

i am no photographer: i just like the glasses

Your nephew is awesome Remy.

he is. also a bit of a monster.

awesome but bit of a monster is definition of toddler iirc

Chloe has a wardrobe malfunction during her b-day party:

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01555sm.jpg?t=1282328620

bonus baby video

http://www.flickr.com/photos/x77tigersxus/4910807693/

Dying here

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4928920290_a04165dcb5_z.jpg

On a beach in Kerry, last week:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4097/4924672470_7d1ba8000f_z.jpg

Hoverchild! Does she like the sand? Louis hates it, refuses to set his feet on it.

V was like that the first couple of times we took her to a beach - then she discovered she could pick it up and throw it around and rub it all over herself and now she loves it.

Archie prefers gravel...

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TF8O03xlQ9I/AAAAAAAAR34/D31FtKkCGrU/s800/DSCF2447.jpg

Three of them together.

Wrong, but funny...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/4892386926_8a4dbbdde5.jpg
Seaside follies by JerryBones, on Flickr

Ava's Sports Day

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4134/4891781287_3ef74bdeff.jpg
Moral support by JerryBones, on Flickr

In the New Forest

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4913919588_472ff3b735.jpg
Where be ponies? by JerryBones, on Flickr

(Yes, they can wear each other's T-shirts!)

Leaves?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jlkY-XBeYU

at his request, he had a "rock n roll"-themed birthday party for no. 6. for some reason the kids' rock'n'roll birthday party kit is designed to make everyone look like rob halford.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/gypsyfrocksbedlam/IMG_0272.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/hmb_hat.gif

and

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Beats_Sepia.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v165/noodle_vague/hbjunekp5.jpg

Probable repeat. Love of my life.

so great

Can't tell you how much the girls love the Pleasant Plains gif up there.

If I waited another week I'd had the Ava'n'Lulu-go-to-school together picture... but I can't wait, so here's the girls at Tate Modern back in August...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/4960470816_32fab93ca0.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4131/4960474868_eae314ee9c.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TILC2rwk4qI/AAAAAAAASKk/n9m3OWY5rUI/s800/DSCF2654.jpg

Lovely! Where is that?

Trent Park (walkable from Cockfosters tube if you ever venture this far north)

Ah right. I thought for a moment you were in our neighbourhood, cos Upper Norwood Rec looks a lot like this.

I love the word Cockfosters. Those are some cute boys and galoshes!

Ben:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5005761525_4d17f9292a.jpg

beautiful

Meg, I am completely floored by how big Archie is now. Look at that lil infant at the top of the thread. wow.

finally caught her smiling on camera:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4092/5014747089_69ff2df865.jpg

Squoogy legs <3 <3

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif
Ben and Veronica

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/5028733302/

gah

at home, playing with our horrible, evil kitten.

http://i56.tinypic.com/2edy5fq.jpg

Shakey - Go to the photo page, click on "Share this" Then grab the HTML/BB code. If you grab the BB Code, you can paste it right into the "Add a Post" dialog. If you grab the HTML, paste it in, and then hit the "Convert Simple HTML to BBcode" button. I do the HTML option, so I don't get a bunch of extra links showing up for every picture.

Seth last week, 1yr and 1 month old now!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4086/5023348559_69a30de15b_z.jpg

awww lil man

Lovely. That 17/2.8 is quite a nifty portrait lens on the Oly PEN, isn't it?

So, they're now both at school... Lulu in Nursery, Ava in Year 1. Ava looks like she's worried lil sis is going to cramp her style on the morning walk. I took today off and, for three hours this morning, we were free of kids. Incredible.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4151/5040123646_ff2a68ddce.jpg

Yes, it's a great little camera, I love it. Really good video on it too.

Michael, wasn't there some story about when Ava started school she was fine but Lulu was screaming to go back and get her?

I'm so torn between not wanting my kids to ever change/grow up and rampant curiosity about what they'll be like at Ned's kids' ages.

Sunny: yes, Lulu couldn't bear leaving Ava behind at school back in the Nursery days. I think Pam is relishing the new-found freedom of being childless 8:40-11:40am; this morning she chaired a PTA meeting and planned the Xmas Fair.

And I know exactly what you mean about being torn between wanting them to be this way forever but also being excited about what comes next.

Ava has some v Steadymike eyebrow action going on there.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4112/5039382042_d296633f93.jpgNew desk by steviet, on Flickr

Goodness, she's a little girl now. And they look like pretty neat and considered circles and curves for 17 months! As recently as this spring, Lulu's version of drawing was still mostly trying to fuse writing implement and paper into a single compound through sheer pressure and frictional heat.

hey Stevie what's that erasable drawing board called? i'd love to get one.

Those are called Magna-doodles. However, I found this thing on Amazon called a Boogie Board that is way more awesome.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B002ZE4TDI/ref=aw_d_cr_electronics?qid=1286298216&sr=8-1

This is the thing we have - though I think we have the travel size version:
http://www.elc.co.uk/Super-Scribbler/118161,default,pd.html

Ah here it is:
http://www.elc.co.uk/Scribble-Go/118874,default,pd.html

thanks dudes!

Alice, growing up before my eyes:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5032198363_a7147f2d86.jpg

i got the super scribbler - it is a hit

the boogie board looks neat but man, the idea of a stylus that's not attached is like like IXNAY

beautiful shot of alice

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs884.snc4/71741_485493366146_503121146_7487086_617629_n.jpg

Wow, how Alice has grown!

We're getting ready:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJnCM2AN0sE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1xfD4gautY

nick evvie is just the cuetest

i know, right?

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TKZZxajfhRI/AAAAAAAASe4/AGibZ49rBTU/s800/DSCF2853.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TLIyT-VDroI/AAAAAAAASgk/Qo1v0FlntxQ/s800/DSCF2894.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5072785819_1fb11505ce_z.jpg

'sup

oh man - he's adorable!

yeah it's crazy how some snapshots give you this weird little insight into how they're going to look when they get older.

from the same trip i took this one, which i think is terrific - and there's a weird blurring effect - but you don't see the future-self there, just sweet enjoyment of the present:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4149/5072777159_0c283011cf_b.jpg

http://i55.tinypic.com/34pam1d.jpg

http://i51.tinypic.com/bi8phc.jpg

oh man she's got the deadpan down cold

haha! yeah, she does.

everyone is getting ready for Halloween

http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/fabrickd/DSC01612sm.jpg?t=1287768485

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4154/5058189737_c186001880.jpg

awesome hat!

Tyler that was my preferred finger-sucking configuration when I was small. I'm glad to see it hasn't fallen from fashion.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1065/5106570556_fc3ed616f7_z.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/5107505296_33c93d8e07.jpg
Stalking squirrels in Norbury Hall Park this weekend

Pix from Hawaii...

Owen
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1240/5108790929_1d42a4fce1.jpg

Ben:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1247/5109389094_d31d01ea89.jpg

Owen and Ben in the sand:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1175/5108799321_039ff4e5ec.jpg

clowning around

http://i51.tinypic.com/2ednmlv.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/5101011318_45cb335714_m.jpg

SO EXCITED TO BE IN YOSEMITE

yosemite is rad! crazy seeing all of these (extremely cute) older kids. i sort of feel like my wife and i have figured out how to be the parents of a baby, but we're now looking down the barrel of toddler-hood.

Veronica looks so STOKED!

dude she is in YOSEMITE who wouldn't be stoked????????

I took my boys to fucking ROBOT WARS on Sunday, and they managed to be miserable.

but... ROBOTS!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1311/5100415541_7e046fd09b_m.jpg

more mad smiliness

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5101012582_8a59b027d2_m.jpg

aw!

Such glee! Wonderful.

Lulu, ambushed by her own hair:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1199/5121976426_2eaa26f444.jpg

And with face visible:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5121371605_e870de2bd0.jpg

so gorgeous

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs923.snc4/73669_495787996146_503121146_7671047_2472183_n.jpg

ha just realized that the perspective there makes my arm look ridiculously huge. now I can't stop seeing it.

here's the kiddie dressed as a kitty for halloween
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4132/5122235452_835727560c.jpg

Oh lovely! x2

Halloween isn't so big in the UK - but we're a half-American family and Lulu's birthday is Nov 2, so we make the effort to have a party. Ava was a spider again this year, Lulu was "Miss Red Riding Hood" because "I'm NOT little!".

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1399/5133729902_9d18b43bcf.jpg

ahaha, so cute. here's more halloween wackiness from sylvie.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs983.snc4/75671_1709303652923_1248042654_31869709_7851004_n.jpg

Awesome!

haha, love the devo-glasses. great pictures all-around.

Ava already a show-off I see!

http://i53.tinypic.com/343rhg6.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/4gtdah.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2va1q8n.jpg

hopefully not posting duplicates. hard to keep track, but i think these are new(-ish).

Sorry to bombard the thread of late, but Tallulah is 4 today...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/5140237188_50a1be2ab0.jpg

And now she's practically a commuter...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1099/5121369891_3c96fe43e4.jpg

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Lulu is 4??? How did that happen? Is she the 3rd or 2nd of nov?

got to get a picture up of cole. he walked into a sink last saturday and broke his two front teeth.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1050/5141408871_54e7ffb170_m.jpg

^^^singing along with Dio ("LOOK OUT!")

Lulu is Nov 2. Seriously thinking of cutting her hair to the length it was when she was 2. Should we?

Blimey! xp

lol! xpost

We got the kids big boy bikes today, and all that balance biking paid off:

Ben:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVAMLV6VBoI

Owen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azTwnG776a8

Impressive cycling!

By the power of... teasel:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4103/5158580624_7da215e3ee.jpg

haha!
here's this kid getting ready for fall and looking older than 14 months
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4016/5143726102_e06efeeea1.jpg

serious squee goin on here

adorable! Whoever made that coat, sell 'em that photo for their catalogue

It's never too cold for ice cream

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TNhWB98GM-I/AAAAAAAASo4/uRiN0eMIevk/s800/DSCF3101.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_Q2cuqOo8v8M/TNhZlFpT1NI/AAAAAAAASrM/Xx1MeomdZeQ/s800/DSCF3123.jpg

http://www.flickr.com/photos/princessparkle/5164253709

dance superstar dance!

Pics from their 4th (!!) birthday party...

Owen hits Shakey Mo with a balloon:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/5157021072_54568701ce.jpg

Owen sees his aunt for the first time in many months:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1202/5157055124_611746371f.jpg

Ben eats birthday cake:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4041/5156426389_bc53cbb8e9.jpg

from this summer..

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4081/4928327551_2dc62b2ea6_z.jpg

Little kids holding hands is the cutest!

They look like the Hummel figurines on my grandmother's mantelpiece (in a good way, I mean).

They need some escaping geese for emphasis, I think. But mostly otm!

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt203/pplains/Picture-1.jpg

<3

Tallulah was invited to a Wizard Of Oz-themed birthday party...she would be the Yellow Brick Road, so we hastily turned her into...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4110/5180099668_6fb96581bc.jpg

Here's the two of them hanging out by the railway station, on their way to see their nan...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1099/5159215139_8d9caf0c9e.jpg

Sorry, she wouldn't be the Yellow Brick Road. Bah.

ilx raises the best kids imo

niece update: outdoor activities proving popular

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/818963/facebook/paddlers.jpg

(out of nappies since that one was taken, now i think of it)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/818963/facebook/swinger.jpg

just had my attention drawn to invisible kid in bg of swing pic

All of these are wonderful. M Jones your kids are styling. I want both of those coats . . . for myself! So cute.

Zara and Next, I believe - eBay scores! I think we spent a total of £12. We are currently on the look-out for the next sizes up.

Correction - Ava's is from Monsoon. Holy moley, I've just looked at their website. We are never buying anything new from there or even going in a shop.